Conservative Soup - food for thought

If I were king for a day...

I feel like a hypocrite. In one blog exchange awhile back, I was begging a fellow blogger for solutions and not just the hot air of complaining... then, after thinking about it, I though, "well aren't you the hypocrite!, what the hell kind of solutions have you ever proposed.... for anything!"So here goes. I will try to solve everything my way, one thing at a time. Issue by issue, and topic by topic, a "pithy" summary of the world according to Spock the Libertarian.

Solution 1: The federal budget
This is a pretty big deal. How do you fix a multi-trillion dollar matrix into such a humble blog.... hmmm, what to do?...
Well, my ingredients are as follows. A healthy dose of the Libertarian Web page "issues" tab ( http://www.lp.org/issues/issues.shtml), my own sprinkling of "outside" thinking, and enough draconian cuts to make the Ginsu Knives Company make me their poster child.

Step 1) Empower a fully independent consulting group with the power to fully investigate EVERY instance of overlap of jurisdiction and budgeting in the entire Federal Budget. Sort of like the 911 commision but with specifics and details. Pay them 40-60 million dollars.... whatever it takes to do will pay itself in billions down the road. Then force Congress to follow up on all recommendations to the letter, their own districts be damned.

Step 2) Empower a second fully independent commision to cut the fat off the military. Tough subject since I am a veteran and supportive of the men and woman in uniform, BUT... why do we need 13 aircraft carrier groups, 1500 or so military installations here and abroad and half our forces in places (South Korea, Germany, Bosnia) where they are but a symbolism? We can make it a leaner, meaner and able unit without the cold war thinking or cold war budget.

Step 3) .... and now for the trick that both Democrats and Republicans will hate me for. (and thats a trick..) the Cabinets departments. Dept of Education? gone. Just a fat layer of unfunded mandates. Who says States dont know what the individual needs of their citizens are? You ever read Lincoln's writings? there was no dept. of education back then and tell me if any kid today can write in such florid and metaphoric ways. Savings:64 billion/year. Dept of Energy? gone. Let the private companies that run nuclear power plants deal with nuclear waste disposal (with Federal oversight). The can do it better and cheaper. Savings: 22 billion/year. Dept of Labor? gone. It is not the Federal Gov's job to train or look after anybody's employment, only to provide the atmosphere and economic conditions to thrive in whatever you choose to do. I know, how insensitive of me. Read the damn Constitution. The only "living, breathing" thing about it is that its in a vacuum frame in the national archives. Besides, private enterprise can recruit, train, and make employment development PROFITABLE for a change (hence, taxable .. for all the fiscal libs out there). Savings: 54 billion/year. NASA? gone. I am the idealist too... but if NASA was privatized like the postal office was it would have been way ahead of the current curve and investing in real-life needs and not trying to look and see if there is life in Vulcan. Let Boeing and Lockheed take it over. Savings: 17 billion/year. Other Independent Agencies? gone. Savings: 28 billion/year.

All the savings for 10 years would go towards paying off the national debt (in an Al Gore type of "lock box".... ok, so im kidding..). After that (and hold on to your pantyhose socialists).... would go towards major and permanent tax cuts to further capital investment, spur economic growth and freedom of personal fiscal choice.

Once all this fat is gone, we add a constitutional ammendment that says the Federal Goverment cannot live on more than 10% of the GDP (thats half of what it is now). If 10% is good enough for God.... it should be good enough for Governance.

Man that was easy.... :) Now if only the States and local Gov's can get with the program.....